Improvement in methods of tubing wells



NITED STATES PATE T' OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. DOBBS, OF PANA, ILLINoIs.

I'MPROVEMENT IN METHODS OF TUBING wE LLs.

Sp'ecication formirg part of Letters Patent No; l59,805, dated February 16, 1875 application filed.

November 22, 1873.

,way and slip down, causing 'a break in the walls of coal-wells, salt-wells, coal-oil wells, artesian wells, or other deep borings in the earth.

The compound with which the cave or break of any kind in the wall is filled and crammed is perfectly soft and plastic, adjusting itself to the cavity. It undergoes a chemical change 'and hardens under water at any depth in a few hours, completely binding and securing all fragments and loose pa-rticles, so that being subsequently drilled through it will not cave, but leave a solid and strong wall. I

call it plastic tubing, because it adjusts itself to the cavity, whatever the form may be, filling every part and binding every piece. 'It sets perfectly hard in six' to twelve hours, is easily drilled through, and absolutely dispeses with tubing in the usual way to shut of caves. I

The compound used is a mixture of gypsum,

(plaster Paris,) h ydraulic cement, (water-lima) and fine sharp sand in 'any proportion that willforn a solid-cement. 'Gypsum, three parts; lydraulic cement, two parts; and fine sharp sand, one part, is perhaps the best combiuation, all things considered. Gypsum alone, or gypsun and sand, will do in some cases. The-same is true of hydraulic cement alone, or lydraulic cement and sand. V

Figure 1 is a sectionalelevation of a tubed `well'according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of' a well tubed according to the plan now and heretofore used, and Fig. 3 is a section of a filling-bag of cements and au elevation of the Sinking-bar arranged for applying .the cements to the' cave, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the sinki g--bar and springsarranged used for locatig the'caves.

A represents the bore of the well; B, acave filled by my method; C, a cave partly filled.

A' represents a well with caves B' G' tubed by the method heretofore and now in use by metal telescopic tubes D E F, showing that the size has to be reduced after each cave is tubed, so that if many caves are met with only a limited depth can be reached on account of the contraction of the size, so that i ucase water or oil is not found within the limits the well is ruined. Gr represeuts a bag containing the cement or plastic tbing of n y invention tied to the sinking-bar-H ready for being let down into the well. Ireprcsents the Sinking-bar, with springs K for locating the caves.

The process of cramming a breach or cave First. Locate its po sition definitely by the use ofthesinking-bar andsprin'gs;

Second. If a bridge is not already formed by thefallin g pa'rticles at or near the bottom of the cave, as' at L, form one artificially by driving down a bag of sawdust, charoal, or other soft substance two or three feet below the cave; then fill up to the bottom of the cave with 'balls of tempered clay, and let down the drill or rammer to be sure you' have a secure bridge formed. v I

Third. With the Sinking-bar and chisel proceed to cram the cave' or fill; the cavity.- Take ten or twelve bags made of thin' cloth about A one inch less in diameter than the bo-re of the' well, and two or three feet long. Lay a thin piece of ishingle in the bottom of the bag, or

not, as may be needed. Hold up a'bag and set the chisel end of .the siuking-bar in the bag full down to the bottom on the piece of shingle; then fill the bag with the compound in a dry state (thoroughly mixed) full as you quick movements' upand down, deposit 'the contents of the bag in the cavity, and the bag,

if securely tied, comes out withrod. Remove the bag and dry it for: repairs, and put on another; Continue the process rapidly as you can conveniently, taking care to dry the wet bags thoroughly over the fire before using a secondtimc.

Fourth. When satisfied that the cavity is filled let it remain perfectly quiet for six to 'eight hours; then, to be certain, put down your springs and exanine; it' not sufficient-ly filled, fill in more in the same way as before, and let it remain as before.

' Fifth. Put on your drill without reducing its size at all in six totwenty-four hours after you know the cavity has been erammed full, and bore along as though nothing had happened. i

Sixth. Each break or cave must be treated in the same way, and no change of the size of the bore is necessary from the commencement to the end.

Seventh. When boring with pole-tools a tapering pin small enough to move up and down without difficulty might be set down into the compound immediately after the filling'is done, to cram with greater force the plastic compound to the farthest extremity of the cave, care being taken to keep the pin or cylinder tnrning round and round quietly to prevent adhesion; also lifting or drawing it up frequently to be sure that it is not bound. liemove it entirely in one-half to three-quarters of an hour. 4

Eighth. Cavities of like kindmay also be filled by the use of small bags filled with this compound, and shoved down hard andstrong with the tools, leaving the bags in the well;

- butit takes a longer time to set the cement,

and the 'cement' is more liable to break in drilling through when the bags -areleft in; be-

before full to the top of the break or bed of gravelor sand, so as to repair any breach that may be made in drillig through the compound. Continue to :fill a few inches, eight to twelve at a time, in the same way until all is made secure.

Having thus fully described my invention, i I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The method of stopping or cramning caves or cavitics in the bore of a well, consistingin obstrueting said bore below the cavcs or cavities, and lowerig and dcpositing ce- 4 ment in {suitable and described.

2. The process of cranming, shuttig oil', and tubng caves, 850., in wells, by cement let down in bags and discharged, or left in the bags and packed inthc caves, substantially as specified. i WILLIAM T.-DOBBS.

quantity, as herein shown Witncsscs:

S. P. MOONEY, B. F. MOONEY, lIENnY MCKAY. 

